Choose Git hosting by the controls you need over private changes, not by whether private repositories are free. GitHub separates basic hosting from private review rules and enterprise identity; GitLab combines repository work with a broader delivery platform; Bitbucket emphasizes Jira-linked collaboration and Premium enforcement; Azure Repos uses Azure DevOps access levels; Gitea Cloud offers managed, isolated instances. A free repository can store the code while leaving the organization without the approval, identity or operating model it actually requires.
What the buying decision includes
This is the repository and review decision. CI/CD can run elsewhere, so build-minute allowances should not select the code host unless that integrated workflow is required. Compare repository visibility, required review and merge conditions, staff provisioning, audit access, large files and who operates the service. Contractors and non-developer stakeholders also need explicit access definitions. Git history is only part of a migration: issues, review discussions, release assets, permissions and automation configuration may require separate planning.
| Product | Best reason to shortlist | Private-code purchase boundary | Separate cost to include |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub | Broad collaboration and integration ecosystem | Team review controls; Enterprise identity | Actions, large files, security and developer tools |
| GitLab | Repository work within a unified delivery platform | Hosted Free group limit versus licensed tiers | Compute, storage and AI credits |
| Bitbucket | Code review alongside Atlassian workflows | Premium enforced merge checks and access controls | Workspace build minutes and LFS |
| Azure Repos | Git integrated with Azure DevOps work tracking | Basic access; Stakeholder is not repo access | Pipelines, artifacts and other service entitlements |
| Gitea Cloud | Managed dedicated Git environment | Cloud quote versus self-managed license | Instance resources, runners and service scope |
GitHub
GitHub Free includes unlimited public and private repositories. Team, listed at USD4 per user per month, adds repository rules, code owners and required reviewers; Enterprise, listed at USD21, adds SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning and enterprise administration. The private-repository control boundary matters more than the repository count for a team requiring approvals before code merges. GitHub official source.
Shortlist GitHub when collaborators and integrations already center on its ecosystem. Confirm the current subscription terms and required identity model, rather than treat an advertised entry rate as a permanent all-inclusive price. Code Security, Secret Protection, Codespaces, large-file storage and premium support have separate commercial scope. Included Actions minutes and package storage are allowances, not unlimited execution. A small company with mandatory SSO can need Enterprise even when Free would hold all its code. GitHub official source.
GitLab
GitLab offers repository management alongside CI/CD, issues and security capabilities. Its hosted Free presentation limits a top-level group to five users and includes 400 monthly compute minutes. Premium expands the licensed team and delivery capabilities; Ultimate adds more security and governance scope. Self-managed plans instead require the customer to provide infrastructure and runners. GitLab official source.
Choose it when reducing handoffs between code, delivery and security work is part of the requirement. For a simple hosted repository, that breadth can matter less than the actual review and access controls needed. Separate hosted allowances from self-managed operating costs, and verify tier-specific guardrails. The current page describes included AI credits as a limited-time promotion; do not build a long-term budget on those promotional amounts or assume all AI activity is unlimited within the seat price. GitLab official source.
Bitbucket
Bitbucket Cloud Free supports up to five users with unlimited public and private repositories. Its Premium plan adds enforced merge checks, IP allowlisting, deployment permissions and required two-step verification. Users are counted as workspace members, and build minutes plus large-file allowances are shared across the workspace. A developer count is therefore not always the complete billable roster. Bitbucket official source.
Shortlist it when code changes need to stay close to Atlassian work tracking and Premium controls match the review policy. Build-minute consumption depends on runner size, so wall-clock minutes alone do not describe the allowance. The published Free offer includes only 50 build minutes and 1GB of LFS storage, separate from repository storage. Cloud and Data Center also have different operating models; the current hybrid licensing discussion deserves a specific proposal if self-managed continuity matters. Bitbucket official source.
Azure Repos
Azure Repos is included in Azure DevOps Basic, with unlimited private Git repositories. The first five Basic users are free, followed by a displayed USD6 per user per month in the US pricing presentation. Stakeholder access is different: the feature matrix does not grant unlimited Git repositories to that level. Qualifying Visual Studio subscriptions can change the paid-user count. Azure Repos official source.
Choose it when code review, Boards and existing Microsoft developer entitlements belong in the same workspace. Do not purchase Basic plus Test Plans solely to obtain Git hosting; that is a separate functional requirement. Pipelines, artifacts and parallel execution also have their own allowances and charges. Confirm existing entitlements and access assignments before estimating additional users. A person invited to the organization is not necessarily licensed to work in a private repository. Azure Repos official source.
Gitea Cloud
Gitea Cloud provides a fully managed Git service with a private isolated instance, region choices, pull requests, code review, package hosting and automatically enabled Gitea Actions. Its product page describes managed maintenance and on-demand runners. That offers a different operational choice from installing free open-source Gitea and taking responsibility for the server yourself. Gitea Cloud official source.
Shortlist it when a dedicated environment and a lighter Git-centered platform are more important than a broad marketplace. Request a Cloud quote that specifies resources, runner usage, identity requirements, recovery commitments and support. The default public pricing view also presents self-managed Enterprise licensing, which should not be copied as the complete hosted price. Isolation and region selection are architectural features, not proof of a particular compliance outcome or immunity from security incidents. Gitea Cloud official source.
Which purchase fits your operation?
For ecosystem breadth, examine GitHub with the required private-review and identity tier. For an integrated delivery platform, examine GitLab. For Atlassian-centered teams, compare Bitbucket Premium controls; for existing Azure DevOps teams, verify Basic entitlements before buying more access. Choose Gitea Cloud for a managed dedicated environment only after scoping the hosted service rather than its self-managed license.
Write the access policy before comparing subscriptions: who can propose a change, who must approve it, which conditions block merging, who can override them and how a departing colleague loses access. Then price automation and large files separately. A successful repository move preserves both the code and the process that decides which code is allowed to become the business product.
For related decisions, compare CI/CD platforms for build and deployment execution and secrets management for credentials used outside repository history.
By Toolverly Editorial, with AI-assisted research and drafting. Product information checked November 2, 2026.
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